If you want to be ahead of the curve with hip hop/R&B/elecro-funk in the Twin Cities, you don’t have to look much further than Jon Jon Scott and his Sound Verite label/website. (disclaimer: Jon Jon is a featured contributor on our site) Even though we are late to the game — this compilation came out last month — you would still be ahead of the game if you spend some time diving into the Sound Verite Records/IX Vol. 1 2016 comp below, featuring some of the most exciting new music in our local scene.

The collection features mostly new songs from an incredibly eclectic group of artists, from the futuristic funk of ZuluZuluu (and a Greg Grease and MMYYKK solo joints), to neo-soul standouts like Sarah White, TaliaKnight and Lady Midnight, to the hip hop heavyweights I Self Divine, Muja Messiah and METASOTA, and a bunch of other artists who gel together on the mixtape. The full tracklist is below the soundcloud stream of the comp, which should be in rotation to soundtrack the rest of your summer parties. Don’t sleep on this record, and if you like what you hear, check out the other work of the artists profiled on this record, either on Sound Verite Records or elsewhere as they continue to burn a new landscape in the local scene.